Totally
out of the blue, this Danish band called Sylvatica. “Mosemanden” isn’t
really their debut album, but rather a compilation album. How’s that? Well,
the band released a first EP ‘Sagn Og Sagaer’ in 2010, which contained 4
songs with a total duration of 21 minutes. In 2011, they released this one,
which is actually a second EP, but it also has the first EP as a bonus. This
results in a total duration of 45 minutes, including 4 new tracks. I don’t
know why this band is working this way, perhaps they wanted to focus on their
first release as well, but at the end, we still have only 4 new tracks.

Anyway,
‘Mosemanden’ contains great stuff with a pagan and folk influence, mixed in
between really aggressive moments! The track ‘Dodssonnen’ is a typical track
that could fit in the Eluveitie playlist, and the execution is done really well!
The band defines their style as ‘swamp metal’, and although it sounds pretty
odd, I can live with that determination. ‘Swamp Metal’ contains heavy
riffing, folk ingredients and sing-along attitude from beginning to finish. This
is probably the perfect mix for those that like folk with balls… Anyhow the
description is, Sylvatica, convince all the way with their Mosemanden EP.

The
four tracks sound like a unity, as a unique combination of styles without losing
any grip. It’s heavy, it has speed, it has a lot of melody and the vocals are
brutal. After the four new songs, we can listen to the four tracks from the
first EP. I don ‘t know if they were re-recorded, or re-mastered, but somehow
I have the idea that the first songs have a much better sound. The vocals are
mixed into the background, but are still aggressive enough to convince.

I
prefer the newer material, but it has a logical continuation in their progress
to success! Sylvatica is a band that has a lot to offer, so I’m ready and
willing to discover a little more about this band. I have been checking the
internet to find more info about the line up and biography, but in these days of
computers, world wide web and social networks, they manage to remain almost
untraceable.. Let the music do the talking!